Monday, November 19, 2007

My column!

My journey is long as I travel back to Ocracoke. The mode of transportation changes as I shift from cars and planes to ferries and bikes. It is good to be back with my island friends and settle into my other life, even if it is only for a few days.The air feels cool and I am glad I tossed in my black cape and scarf for these events. It is refreshing after the heat of the summer. I am enveloped in the scent of the island…the junipers and cedars. They are strong this time of year. The colors are not vibrant like those back home in Indiana, but the slanting of the sun and the color of the ocean shows me deep Autumn is here as well.

This is, however, not a vacation nor just a wandering of my spirit…no, my mission is certain….a wedding and a murder. Not exactly in that order and neither events are mine personally… at least I hope not. Actually each event has nothing to do with the other except coincidences. First of all, it is the murder that takes me to Ocracoke. Hmmm, that doesn’t sound so great either. The execution of a murder? OK, here’s the story. I plan and implement murder week ends….for fun. Folks can sign up for these, pay for the event, dress up and play act for three days. The events are always a Pink Panther Who-Dun-It event with the dead guy always showing up at the door as a traveling attorney. This one is full of mystery and intrigue involving pirates and a hurricane. (Well, we are on an island in the Atlantic!) The date is 1823 and the storm rages. (Luckily for me it is cold and the wind is blowing.)

It is Friday night and we meet for ghost stories. The Cove B & B where I am working is directly on the Sound side of the island and the wind is howling. The twenty guests are shy and the name tags have only character names. I am thinking that in less than twenty-four hours we will all be pretending it is 1823 and one of us (them!) will be dead. Our name tags are indicative of long ago times: Reuben, Liza Jane, Billy B. and the list goes on. After a tale from Poe I send them all shivering to their beds.

Saturday dawns cold and sunny with the wind still whipping across the Atlantic. The ferries are running as I hear their whistle, but they could be shut down any minute because of the wind and then we all become captives of the island. I meet with all the characters and dispel fears of acting. This is to be an improv evening. Everyone knows the synopsis of their character, but no lines have been written. It is live theatre. It is exciting. Most will spend the afternoon thinking about their character or walking around the village. It is too cold and windy for the beach.

Now I change out of murder clothes to attend the outdoor marriage of two islanders, born and bred on the island. This wedding is to be held outdoors and we, the guests, are bundled up for it in several layers as the wind howls. The trellises are decorated with Autumn leaves and the bridal party strolls through the pathway in the woods. The maid of honor is 103 years old. Her name is Muzel and she is the oldest living person that I have ever known. She actually stands for most of the ceremony even though she is held up by two young stout men. Ahhh, the marriage is complete, we all clap and cheer, hug and congratulate. I am happy to have been privy to this lovely ceremony. But now…off to the murder. I go and change back into my 1823 pirate’s dress, review my own notes. I play the town gossip and having written the show, I need to remember everything I have told my characters. The costumes are divine…some rented, some store bought and the murder begins. We play for five hours straight. The stories become entangled and I often think, did I write that????? The dead guy dies right on time and eventually the murder is solved. I hand out trophies to the best actor, actress and best costumes.

It is late, but all is well. A murder. A marriage. All in one cold windy week end on my island in the Atlantic.

1 comment:

Hi, Lou Ann. That sounds like fun. I've never participated in a murder occasion, and there obviously is a lot of creativity that goes into it. And running off to Ocracoke for the weekend isn't a bad way to occupy a bit of life.

Lou Ann Homan portraying Gene Stratton-Porter

LOU ANN HOMAN IS A STORYTELLER, A WRITER, AND A DREAMER OF DREAMS

If you like I can send my blog to you every day on your email!

Lou Ann Homan

Click on the Photo to View a Sample of My Storytelling

Storyteller's Journal

Dear Folks,

Welcome to my world of storytelling, writing, and as you can see, dreamer of dreams. My storytelling has taken me to all sorts of locations around the country and in a few other countries. I have shows suitable for all ages and interests.

I do programs for teachers, for poets, for students, and for all who love the sound of language and words. I also am a Fringe Festival artist!

I also am a faculty member of Trine University where I teach writing and speech. I am a columnist for our local paper, The Herald Republican. My columns appear on Saturday and have been featured for nine years!

I am a traveler, a hobo, a drifter, a gatherer of tales, and a one-woman show. Thanks for taking the time to take a look. I would love to talk with you, share emails and blogs or even share a cup of tea in my lovely old house. Above all, I would love to share stories with you.

Lou Ann

Storytelling in Schools

Murder Mystery Weekends

Research Projects for your town

Scary Stories for the Autumn

Summer reading programs

Anne Bonny and other women pirates

Winter Woolies

Keynoting for schools

Workshops for students and teachers

Square Dance calling

Writing workshops

Poetry and Haiku workshops

Writing and directing of shows (especially murder mystery shows for middle school, have several to choose from. This is a weeklong residency.)

About Me

My hometown is Angola, Indiana with time spent on Ocracoke Island as well!

I am a storyteller, a theater coach, an actress, and a writer. When I am not traveling and gathering stories, you can find me writing late into the evening under the light of my old scarlet, frayed lamp. I am a believer in small towns in America and the blog is written to bring focus to them and to save them!
I also garden and am deeply aware of the environment and the issues. Please visit my blog often to share with me short stories that just happen, recipes, gardening, environmental preservation, books, photography and family, of course!

Gardening Tips for those in northern climates.

I notice I have been filling my baskets at Rural King with spring flowering bulbs...not that I need any more! It is just that I love planting the spring bulbs as much as I love having them bloom in the spring. I am also working on the flower beds with leftover weeding from the summer months. In my spare time I am trying to paint the white picket fence. Where is Tom Sawyer when I need him?

Recommended books by Lou Ann.

Sister by Rosamund Lupton

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

This is a wonderful historical novel about Frank Lloyd Wright and his mistress, Mamah Cheney. I could not put the pick down. My book club gave it a four out of five!

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson

The Historian by Barbara Koslova

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Wall

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

A Sand Almanac by Aldo Leopold

Winter by Rick Bass

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain.

This is a wonderful historical fiction about Ernest Hemingway's first marriage. Could not put the book down!